Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Senate return sparks attention as legal team warns against obstruction. Senator set to resume after six-month suspension

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Senate return has stirred renewed political attention as the Kogi Central Senator is set to rejoin plenary sessions today, following the end of her six-month suspension.

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Her legal representative, Victor Giwa, confirmed the development, stating that Akpoti-Uduaghan is constitutionally entitled to resume legislative duties.

“To me, our client should just go straight and resume on Tuesday,” Giwa told The PUNCH. “Anything else is just an opinion.”

The upper chamber, which postponed its resumption from 23 September to 7 October 2025, returns after a two-week extension of its annual recess.

The delay halted progress on several legislative priorities, but it also allowed legal discussions around Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension to unfold.

Suspended in March for alleged misconduct following a dispute over the reassignment of her Senate seat, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s office was locked on 6 March and only recently unsealed.

The senator had previously described Senate President Godswill Akpabio as a “dictator” after gaining access to her workspace again.

Upon her return to the National Assembly premises two weeks ago, Akpoti-Uduaghan remained unapologetic. “We can’t cower in the face of injustice. No one is more Nigerian than us,” she said.

She also accused Akpabio of treating her like a “servant or domestic staff”, calling the leadership under him “totally unacceptable”.

Her legal team has warned that any further obstruction to her resumption would plunge the Senate into what Giwa described as “total chaos”. He added, “If you deny her the chance to resume, you are going against your own resolution.”

The Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Senate return is being closely watched, particularly as it tests the Senate’s internal procedures and legal boundaries.

According to her lawyers, the courts may later determine the legality of her suspension—but her right to resume now is not in question.

Efforts to obtain comment from Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu and aides to the Senate President were unsuccessful, with calls and messages going unanswered.

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As the 10th Senate reconvenes, political observers and constituents alike are keen to see whether Akpoti-Uduaghan will be permitted to resume without further hindrance—or whether the political storm around her will intensify.